With “award season” in full swing, you may be gawking at the flawless skin, makeup, and ensembles of celebs on the red carpet, but any pro will tell you, it takes a HUGE amount of effort to pull together red carpet looks. Most celebs have entire teams of stylists, fitness trainers, makeup artists, hairstylists, and assistants to help them get that “flawless” look. Now, we know you’re probably not about to hire a half dozen people for your next big event, and the good news is -you don’t have to!
While there are some services you may want to hire a pro for, (like your hair or a spray tan) with the right products and a few beauty tips you can pull off a stunning look for any big event -sans the massive beauty squad. Here’s how.
Skin & Body
Cleansing
Your complexion is everything when it comes to looking healthy and glowing. You already know you should be washing your face every evening (and morning if you have oily skin), but if you want to take it a step further, we highly recommend using a Clarisonic brush daily to keep your skin in top shape. We’ve been using a Clarisonic brush for 3 years and we can not believe we survived before it! It is skin-transforming and after regular use, you’ll notice clearer skin, smaller pores, a smoother texture, less wrinkles and more clarity. Best of all, Clarisonic just released their Mia Fit
, a compact lightweight facial brush with all the power of a regular Clarisonic packed into a little brush that you can easily throw into your gym bag. You can purchase Clarisonic MIA Fit at Sephora and other fine retailers.
Facials
We recommend doing a deep cleansing mask at least once per week. Additionally, if you have a big event coming up, we recommend doing an exfoliating facial 3 days ahead of time. DO NOT attempt an aggressive peel or extracting facial the day before an event! If for some reason you have a bad reaction, your skin will need time to heal, so as a rule, do a facial at least 3 days ahead of time. Also, if you’re going to a pro for this service, let your facialist know that you have a big event coming so they will know to be gentle on your skin. Communication is key!
Get Glowing
You know what this means -the dreaded spray tan. Yes, we know this can be annoying, but spray tans do make a difference for big events, especially if you’re going to be photographed. Whatever you do, only go to a place that does them well, preferably at a place that airbrushes the tan on by hand. This will give you the most natural, even effect. As with facials, do not attempt a spray tan the day before -just in case something goes awry. Always do your tan at least 3 days ahead of time to leave room for error.
Full Body Pampering
Be sure to fully exfoliate and moisturize your entire body (especially if you plan to get a spray tan). You can do this easily at home by exfoliating with plain sugar, applying coconut oil and wrapping your skin in saran wrap. (Yes, this is what they do at spas!) This will make your skin feel divine and it will really brighten it up and help it appear tighter and more youthful. Again, glowing skin can truly make a difference -especially if you’re wearing a strapless or mini dress. The day of your event, moisturize with a shimmering body lotion and finish off with a light, whimsical fragrance, like Vince Camuto Capri.
A Fresh Mani & Pedi
Look, we’re all about “doing you”, but showing up to a big event with chipped, tattered nails is a big no-no. We can’t deny it looks sloppy and unprofessional. Now, we’ll admit it -we almost never go to a pro for manis and pedis, simply because we’ve kind of mastered doing it ourselves. While many gals are (rightfully) nervous about their manicure painting skills and may want to opt for a pro, pedicures are much easier to DIY. The key to great pedicures is proper exfoliating and moisturizing. Feet build up a lot of dry skin and callouses, and removing that dead skin is the hard part. So, once you get that taken care of, you’re just a few coats of paint away from having a perfect DIY pedi.
However, before you whip out the hack saw to take off that built-up skin, we assure you, there’s a better, easier, more comfortable way. It’s called Baby Foot, and it’s an exfoliant foot peel bootie that softens and removes hardened skin effortlessly. Simply put the booties on for 1 hour and wash away. Over the next 2 weeks, the hardened skin will naturally exfoliate off, leaving you with, yes, baby soft feet. Obviously you’ll want to do this peel 2 weeks ahead of your event to ensure your feet are fully exfoliating and ready to go by your big night.
Get Your Beauty Rest
Nothing can make up for a good night’s sleep the day before your event. It goes without saying; don’t stay out late and don’t drink the night before! Looking bloated and exhausted is no fun. This is just common sense. And if you’re feeling anxious the night before and can’t fall asleep, a little ZzzQuil does the trick. Instead of rolling around all night hoping to doze off, simply take a tablespoon of ZzzQuil right at bed time and dream away. Zzzquil is non-habit forming and free of cold and flu meds, so you get the sleep without the unnecessary medications. Whatever you do -prioritize your sleep the night before! You will not just look better -you’ll feel better.
Beauty Squad in a box: Clarisonic MIA Fit, Baby Foot Peel, Vince Camuto Capri, Zzzquil.
Makeup
You don’t have to be a pro to do red carpet-ready makeup. Seriously! Makeup is something you can definitely do yourself and a lot of the time we feel we know what looks best on our own faces, so don’t feel like you need to hire a makeup artist. Unless you are legitimately unskilled at makeup, with a few uncomplicated tricks you can look super polished with 5 key steps. Trust us, you don’t need that 10 step contouring nonsense.
A Pro Foundation
If there is one product you should splurge on, it’s a pro quality foundation. This step can make or break your entire makeup look, so invest in a perfectly matched foundation that is right for your skin type. Once you have a properly applied foundation base, move on to the rest of your face.
Great Eyebrows
Believe it or not, eyebrows are the most relevant feature on your face. No, it’s not your nose, it’s your eyebrows! So, making sure your eyebrows are properly groomed and shaped for your face will make a huge difference in if your makeup looks pro or not. We recommend going to a pro to have your brows shaped to best suit your face at least one week ahead of time.
Lights, Camera, Lashes
Like eyebrows, lashes have a huge impact on your face! Great lashes can totally open up your eyes and define your face, so we recommend putting on a great set of natural-looking false lashes. It’s not as difficult as it seems and it will bring your entire look together with little effort. False lashes can replace eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara, so they really are a do-it-all solution to eye makeup. Of course you could add a little wing eyeliner to your upper lids and some mascara on your lower lashes, but falsies are going to take care of a lot of the work for you.
Red Lips
Classic, timeless, and gorgeous on EVERYONE. Red lips look great on every single person and they instantly polish a look and bring it all together. It’s the fastest, easiest way to get a glamorous makeup look with little effort.
Bronzer
Last, you’ll need a neutral bronzer to finish your look and define your jaw, forehead, and cheekbones. Suck in your cheeks and dust bronzer on the hollowed area. Next, dust it along your jaw line and finish with the temples of your forehead. Finish your face with a dust of setting power, and that’s it!
BONUS | Get a Makeover at a Beauty Counter
If you don’t want to do your own makeup and you need a foundation or any other cosmetics, make your way over to your local Sephora or beauty counter and have a pro do a makeover on you the day of your event. Not only will you get quality products, but you’ll also get a pro makeup look to wear to your event. Obviously when doing this, buy products from the counter! Showing up for a free makeover without buying products is bad form.
This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Single Edition Media. All opinions are our own.
